Second Arenac County Courthouse
About this property
The Second Arenac County Courthouse, also known as Ye Olde Courthouse Masonic Hall and the Omer Masonic Hall, is a historic building located on Central Avenue in Omer, Michigan. The building is an outstanding example of a highly detailed vernacular frame building. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1976 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Arenac County was organized in 1883 from sections that had been part Bay County. Omer was selected as the county seat and a courthouse was built- In 1889 the courthouse burned down, and the county hired local contractor and sawmill owner Angus McDonnell to construct this building on the same site. The building was finished in 1890 at a cost of $2970.75. In 1891, a county-wide vote selected Standish as the county seat, and the county government was moved. In 1893, the vacated court building was sold to the Omer Lodge of the Free and Acceptable Order of Masons for $500. At various times, the Masonic Lodge allowed the village to use the structure as a village hall, fire station, and jail. Facing heavy repair costs, the Masons moved out of the building for smaller quarters in 1997. The structure was purchased by Carol and Robert Britt, who completed some repairs and restoration work with the intention of converting the structure into a museum. In 2004, the Britts then sold the building to the Arenac County Historical Society. The building currently serves as the Society's Historical Courthouse Museum, known as "Ye Olde Courthouse Masonic Hall". The Second Arenac County Courthouse is a rectangular symmetric two-story frame structure covered with clapboard with a hip roof. The entrance is through a porch supported with slender columns with a slightly projecting bay. An elaborate fanlight window sits above the entrance, and gable above features fishscale shingles and sunburst carving. A graceful cupola tops the structure.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Second Arenac County Courthouse
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Questions about this property
When was Second Arenac County Courthouse listed on the National Register?
Second Arenac County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 14, 1982.
What type of historic resource is Second Arenac County Courthouse?
Second Arenac County Courthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Second Arenac County Courthouse?
The period of significance for Second Arenac County Courthouse is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Second Arenac County Courthouse?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Second Arenac County Courthouse will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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